This application relates to a sealed compressor, wherein a plurality of separate compressor units are mounted within a single outside housing shell.
Sealed compressors are known, and typically include a housing shell defining a sealed chamber for receiving a motor and a compressor pump unit. Oil typically circulates within the sealed chamber, and is delivered by known means to surfaces between relatively moving parts.
A compressor assembly must be manufactured to be able to provide sufficient capacity to meet its largest required load. On the other hand, at most times, this largest load will not be encountered. Thus, the concept of “capacity control” is known in the refrigerant compressor art. Capacity control is the use of a reduced amount of compression, when less cooling capacity is necessary.
One simple method for providing capacity control would be to provide a plurality of compressor units, and shut them down one by one as the required capacity decreases.
In the past, it has been proposed to mount more than one compressor assembly within a single housing. The use of a single housing reduces the complexity of providing oil to each of the compressors. However, the proposed housing assemblies have had undesirable shortcomings.